Apex court to decide on four SC candidates’ CENTAC admission

They are awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on Special Leave Petition

Four candidates under the Scheduled Caste Migrant category seem to have crossed the first hurdle in getting admission in MBBS and M. Tech courses in government colleges in neighbouring Puducherry.

Following a Madras High Court order, they attended counselling on August 1. They are now awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in a Special Leave Petition on issues concerned with migrants in respect of residence, nativity and community, for their final selection.

The four, Anujutha, K. Nitthya and C. Sadhanadevi, had applied for MBBS seats and T. Shaleni, sought admission to the M. Tech course. Though their mothers were from Puducherry and belonged to scheduled castes, the territorial administration said the status of their fathers alone would be considered.

It said the fathers should be SC of Puducherry origin. In the present case, they were from Tamil Nadu, according to their counsel, R. Prabhakaran.

The counsel submitted that the issues concerned with migrants were subject matters in earlier writ petitions and writ appeals. One such appeal was pending before the Supreme Court.

The SLP is to be taken up for final disposal on August 6.

As the Bench hearing the SLP was sitting in a Constitution Bench hearing the Mullaperiyar dam issue, he could not make a mention there about the urgency in the matter. Hence, he sought an interim direction from the Madras High Court to reserve one seat each for the petitioners in the MBBS and M. Tech courses for 2013-14.

A single Judge rejected the petitions. The four filed the present appeals.

Considering the facts and circumstances, on August 1, a Division Bench comprising Justices V. Dhanapalan and M. Duraiswamy, said as the candidates were claiming SC status and the matter was to be decided by the Supreme Court and also that the Madras High Court in a case of nativity certificate had earlier granted permission to a person to participate in the counselling.

According to Mr. Prabhakaran, the four attended the counselling.

When the matter came up before the Division Bench on August 7, he submitted that the SLP was not taken up on August 6 though it was listed for hearing as one of the Judges was presiding over the Bench on the Mullaperiyar issue. Following this, Messrs. Justices Dhanapalan and Duraiswamy adjourned the matter for two weeks.

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